Aspartame, a type of artificial sweetener widely used in food and beverage products, recently underwent a risk assessment investigating whether its consumption could cause cancer. Carried out by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), the assessment cited “limited evidence” for carcinogenicity in humans.
IARC classified aspartame as “possibly carcinogenic” to humans, while JECFA highlighted that there was no sufficient reason to change the previously acceptable aspartame intake of approximately 40 mg/kg body weight.
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However, the agencies emphasised that further research is required to establish a consensus. This opinion is mirrored by healthcare experts, who expressed that it would take a significant amount of aspartame consumption to pose a danger to health.
Impact on the consumption of artificial sweeteners
Dr. Donald D. Hensrud, Internist at the Mayo Clinic in the US, who is an expert in public health, infectious diseases, and occupational health, shared that the term “possibly carcinogenic” in the report does not define the exact risk.
Commenting on the report’s impact on consumers, he said: “This is speculation, but some people may decrease their intake of foods that contain aspartame in response to this new information. The absolute risk of cancer is low, and it would require a fair amount of aspartame consumption over many years to increase the risk even by a small amount. Even if people changed their behaviour and decreased their consumption, it may not greatly change healthcare outcomes.”
Ali Tariq, Founder of Fivescore Labs, a UAE-based consumer longevity brand, added: “The updated classification of aspartame may indeed have implications around promoting healthy dietary choices and managing chronic diseases related to sugar consumption. This new classification would likely encourage further research into the safety of aspartame and its alternatives. There might also be increased monitoring of health outcomes associated with aspartame consumption amongst broader population groups.”
Public awareness on the intake of artificial sweeteners
According to Dr. Hensrud, the actual outcome and exact risk would need to be determined in population studies that compare the use of aspartame against a control.
To understand the risk better, healthcare systems and regulatory bodies need to collaborate to conduct further research on the potential health effects of aspartame, such as population studies, clinical trials, or lab-based studies.
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According to Tariq, data sharing would be necessary across stakeholder groups to achieve this. Global healthcare systems could provide data on health conditions that may be linked to aspartame consumption, while regulatory bodies could provide data on food and drink consumption, product safety assessments, and the regulatory status of aspartame in various countries.
As for public policy around matters regarding healthcare, this is a complex issue that may require balancing the risks associated with aspartame consumption against the risks associated with sugar consumption and obesity, including diabetes and heart disease.
“The ultimate goal would be to guide the public towards the safest and healthiest dietary choices,” concluded Tariq.
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